A List Apart

Author

Kevin M. Hoffman

Kevin M. Hoffman is an information designer/architect, design strategist, speaker, and teacher who has been building stuff with bits and pixels since 1995. He was Happy Cog’s first User Experience Director and the Director of Digital Communications for the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Kevin appreciates your valuable time. He'll thank you personally for that time if you contact him on twitter.

Imagine the most fulfilling, collaborative design meeting you’ve ever had. Hours seemed to fly by, and those hours were productive. Political and mental barriers melted away and in their place were innovative ideas, or realistic solutions for complex problems. For several shining moments the team worked as one; the conversation or the activity was equally fun and productive, and you left the room feeling smart and empowered. It’s highly likely that someone in that meeting was a facilitator, either by design or by accident. Kevin M. Hoffman leads us through what it takes to facilitate great design.

Too many kickoff meetings squander the busiest, most expensive people’s time reiterating what everyone already knows. If every meeting is an opportunity, why waste your first one? By asking stakeholders tough questions before the kick-off, and using the meeting itself to explore ideas and build relationships, you can turn a room of mutually suspicious turf battlers into an energetic team with shared ownership of the end-product and the kind of bond that can sustain the group through the challenges ahead.